Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake amongst traders in Wakulima Market, a cross-sectional study in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 has been recognized as one of the greatest public health challenges, resulting in increased mortality worldwide. Various strategies have been implemented to address the challenge, including the development of COVID-19 vaccine to prevent its further spread. The study aimed at assessing the contextual, individual, and perceptual factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among traders in Wakulima Market, Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: this study employed a cross-sectional study design that used both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires administered to 353 traders, while qualitative data were gathered through key informant interviews with 30 county health officials. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 25, whereby descriptive and inferential statistics were computed. Qualitative data from key informant interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Results: the study found that if perceptual factors, individual factors, and contextual factors were held constant at zero, COVID-19 vaccine uptake amongst traders would be 2.938. Multiple linear regression revealed that a unit increase in contextual factors would lead to a 0.143 rise in the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among the traders (p=0.004). On the other hand, a unit increase in individual factors led to a 0.135 increase in the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among the traders (p=0.005) while a unit increase in perceptual factors led to a 0.149 increase in the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among the traders (p=0.002). Conclusion: the results indicated that individual, contextual, and perceptual factors influence COVID-19 vaccine uptake among the traders. This suggests the need to implement strategies aimed at enhancing vaccine uptake among the traders.